


A Different Path

by Bnemesis



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, Varian Wrynn Lives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:20:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21687460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bnemesis/pseuds/Bnemesis
Summary: The events at the Broken Isles did not end as foretold.The course was changed when a Champion of the Horde turned Outcast. Instead of fleeing when the Warchief was struck down, Elsaria Sunstorm stayed behind and fought alongside the opposite faction.Now the future is uncertain. Out of balance.And the battle against the Legion is only getting started........
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Crossposted from my Wattpad.   
> Disclaimer: I do not own World of Warcraft. If I did I wouldn't be writing fanfiction changing the plot I would be changing the plot.
> 
> Legion made me sad but them cinematics were amazing.  
> Elsaria is based around my actual WoW main. Any similarities to any other character/original character(s) are coincidental. This will contain world exploration and lore exploration.

Sargeras was not always the foul corrupted being he is now. A Destroyer. Once, he was a paragon of good, a light in the void alongside his brothers and sister.

Once, he was a Defender.

Now, the Burning Legion prepares itself to return to Azeroth, and bring the Destroyer with them.

Azeroth holds something powerful inside, something Sargeras dearly wants. Something the Titans searched for.

Azeroth holds a soul.

The Burning Legion is vast, nigh endless. They will stop at nothing to break the world into pieces.

But we will stop at nothing to defend her.

We are the Heroes of Azeroth.  
You know our stories. You've lived them.  
But tell me, if that realm is real, who is to say we aren't seeing only one side of the story?  
One face of the die?

What would happen if Fate took a turn? If a hero decided to stay behind at that fateful battle, and fight so that others may escape?

That is how our story shall start.  
On a different Azeroth, with an altered story.

Let the dice roll.  
The game begins.


	2. The Beginning

_To my dear little sister,_

The ink swirled out onto the parchment in graceful characters, black splotches dropping to the edge of the page. Ivory pale fingers gripped a violet quill tight, trying desperately to stave off tremors as the ship shook and the smell of sulfur drifted in from the window.

_We will land on the shores within the morrow. I can smell the infernals from here. Their sickly green color lights the cabin._

"The deck is aflame! There's no end to these fireballs!" A footsoldier screeched out in pain, an echoing boom sounding out as something was clipped by one of the massive beasts falling from the heavens. Hellish beings with no sense of mercy clouded the sky with black ash, lightning zipping across the empyrean domain. Blue-green glowing eyes flicked upwards at the scream, before returning to writing ever so swiftly in near perfect calligraphy.

_Their army is vast. I fear the worst for this expedition. I do not know if I will return alive. Please, I beg of you-_

Clashing could be heard from the deck, as the ship seemed to sink downwards for just a moment. A grinding roar sounded out. An infernal had gotten lucky. The soldiers wouldn't be able to defeat it alone.

_-stay safe in Silvermoon. And if I do not return alive, remember that I love you always._

_Elsaria_

With a flick of her wrist the letter was sealed by a circle of ice, the imprint of a dragonhawk ouroboros in the center just like a wax seal. A small violet flash lit the room for a moment, a tiny silver beast of the same species appearing and taking the letter in its jaw gently. It faded out of existence just as quick, vanishing to perform its task for its mistress.

Gripping a silver stave in hand, she swirled towards the entrance of her cabin room, her violet robes swishing gracefully as she moved. Not quite running to the deck where the infernal beast burned all that it touched, trying her best to keep balanced through the turbulence.

When it came into view she could see a few other champions had come up to help, though they weren't doing much against the raging verdant flames.  
Breathe in.  
Breathe out.  
A flourish of hands, bathed in crystalline blue, and the beast was pelted with ice shards and snow. The flames died down enough for a druid's massive bear form to crash down on the thing, pinning it for the warriors to hack into pieces.

She looked towards the shoreline ahead. Things could only get worse from here she was sure. A golden platinum strand fell from a pristine bun, framing a delicate face and long pointed ears. The Tauren druid walked up to her side, placing a massive hand upon her shoulders. His voice was a deep grumble.

"Earth Mother help us all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspiration taken from the Legion Cinematic Trailer (which still makes me cry ngl)
> 
> I swear this stuff feels longer on Wattpad. Maybe its a mobile vs desktop thing?


	3. Hellfire and Desperation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the Battle for Broken Shore
> 
> AKA Before The Fandom Cried

She didn't remember much of the first half of the battle on the Shore. 

She remembered the beginning charge, running up the shoreline and clashing with the demons that were eager for blood. She remembered the burn of the felfire as it met the skin of her arms, the sulfurous stench as it burned the edges of her cloak.

She remembered the blood of her fellow Horde members as they were picked off in the charge, their screams in the dark blending in with the shrieks of imps and roars of the other beasts.

A light burned brightly in the shadows of her heart when she saw the Alliance forces on the opposite ridge, their champions cutting a swath of legion beasts to pieces as they charged up the incline. The friendly banter between her leaders and King Varian lit some spark of hope in her chest that everything would work out OK. That they could share this world.

The fight against the pitlord was where she could feel something terrible was going to happen. Her mana reserves, bright and deep as the sea, were lower than she had ever felt them. She hadn't dipped to half reserves since she was an apprentice just learning magic, and she could feel the drain in her strength with every frostbolt, frost nova, and blizzard she cast.

She thought the battle was nearly over when the pitlord fell. She was wrong. Swarm upon swarm fell upon them, rising up from the cliffs and dropping out of the skies.

"Archers! Keep cover fire!" Was shouted across the battlefield as felbats shrieked and dove at the heroes of Azeroth. The mages did their best to fight both the land demons and the airborne ones, spells being flung everywhere.

Sometime in the fighting Elsaria ended up next to the tauren druid from before, a troll and goblin hunter team standing back-to-legs as their pets tore apart their enemies. Moonfire rained from the sky, the angry screech of a massive night-elven owl resonating through the air as it obeyed the commands of the troll who called it. An even larger corehound galloped into the middle of a pack of imps with its master on its back, explosive devices flying everywhere as is custom with most goblin fights. The tauren spoke up first.  
"If we were to retreat someone would need to alert the Alliance. We would need to at least try holding the cliff long enough for them to get out as well as ourselves." He trapped several demons in thick vines as he spoke, finishing them off with an overpowered fury spell. They never stood a chance.  
"We would need to spread word of this and get volunteers. I doubt we will last much longer against the numbers of these brutes."

"It's almost as if 'ey knew we was comin'. " The troll spoke out. It was true- there were far more of the creatures on the Broken Shore than they had report of. They just kept coming.  
"Leave alerting to me, beefcake, screechy, frosty snack." The goblin crowed, a smirk across his marred face at the other champions looks of offensive disgust.  
"OI LOSERS!" Was heard over the ring of battle as the corehound charged off with its master, the cries of angered imps getting cut off as they were trampled under paw. 

The next thing she knew, the goblin returned, with a medium group of people with weapons of varying sorts. There were at least two shaman, three druids- one in feral form, the others healing, several hunters and a few scattered warriors. Each held a look of bloodthirst in their dark eyes, weapons dripping green blood.   
"I brought reinforcements, frosty snack, and they're salivating to spill demon blood! If we die we're goin down with a bang!" He cheerily held up a large barrel of explosive material pulled from who knows where. Was it even safe to have that thing near the giant magma dog? A few mages blinked into view at the back of the group, nodding to her in acknowledgement. If things went south they would be ready to port, or slow fall if necessary. 

Vol'jin and Sylvanas fought further away on the cliff, decimating demons several at a time. Thrall did shaman things a little further away. The Alliance soldiers below them clashed with the tide of demonic beasts, some looking up gratefully when they got a brief rest from the beasts from the Horde provided arrow fire. 

In the fighting she had lost track of her leaders. A druid flew up in the form of a hawk to scout the battlefield, almost getting incinerated before crashing back down to the fight. Fear shone in her eyes as she tried to speed up her healing, hair once dark as the ocean glistening with red from the half-healed burning gash across her forehead.

"Dere be more! Dere flankin us! Loa 'ave mercy, it never ends!" The Tauren druid snorted with displeasure.  
"If the Earth Mother is to reclaim us now, then I, Bronn Bearhammer, shall show these beasts nature's wrath before I answer!"   
A blast of smoke accompanied a roar filled with fury, and the massive form of a black horned bear rose up to stare challengingly at the demons surrounding them. 

The memory of the group she fought alongside would stay with her forever, she decided. Even the goblin, as distasteful as he was, had wormed his way into some part of her heart. If this was to be the end it was a good one, she decided.

The retreat horn blew. Elsaria looked towards her companions. Thirty in total, just over the size of a small raiding party.

_Sorry Warchief. But if we are **all** to get away we need to buy some time._

The mages fired up slow fall, sending the spell out towards the fifteen who would join the battle below. This was against their orders as Horde but to them, the fight was no longer For the Horde. It was For Azeroth.

She gathered what power she could spare to summon the largest flying mount she could. The massive azure netherwing snarled and unfurled his wings. As they prepared behind arcane walls an Alliance gunship lowered from the heavens. 

_For Azeroth._

They leapt from the clifftop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shadowlands looks awesome and I'm lowkey hoping I get it for Christmas.  
> My soul is ready Blizzard take me to the afterlives.
> 
> This is technically my first time writing something with such a heavy focus on combat, so bear with me as I slowly experiment with how to write fight scenes and try to make a good plot. Any tips on writing fight scenes would be very appreciated.


End file.
